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weight and performance calculations for the Vickers FB-28 Vimy Commercial
Vickers FB-28 Vimy Commercial
role : passenger aircraft
importance : ****
first flight : 13 April 1919 operational : May 1920
country : United-Kingdom
design :
production : 43 aircraft, at Weybridge of which 40 were exported to China
general information :
The Vimy Commercial was a converted Vimy WWI bomber. To accommodate 10 passengers the fuselage was closed and enlarged. On 9 May 1920, the first
service flight was made , flying from Croydon to Brussels.
After that, the aircraft was constantly used on the routes to Paris, Brussels and Cologne. Around July 1921, it had flown 360 hours and had carried 10,600 passengers (average flight time 0.34 hrs !) In April 1924, it entered service with Imperial Airways LTD, at that moment it had flown 173,691 km (with cruise speed 135 km/hr this means 1287 flying hours). The Vimy Commercial was not very popular as passenger plane, because of its poor cruise speed. In the case of headwinds, the flight range was greatly reduced, even on a flight from London to Paris, stops had to be made to refuel.
A Chinese order for 100 is particularly noteworthy; forty of the forty-three built were delivered to China, but most remained in their crates unused; only seven were put into civilian use.
Fifty-five military transport versions of the Vimy Commercial were built for the RAF as the Vickers Vernon .
users : Instone Air Line, Grands Express Aerians, Imperial Airways LTD, China
government
Registrations : G-EASI, G-EAAV
crew : 2 passengers : 10
engine : 2 Rolls Royce Eagle VIII liquid-cooled 12 -cylinder V-engine 360 [hp](268.5 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 20.47 [m], length : 13.0 [m], height : 6.65[m]
wing area : 123.56 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 5670 [kg]
empty weight operational : 3533 [kg] useful load : 1150 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed :150 [km/u] op 500 [m]
cruise speed :135 [km/u] op 500 [m]
service ceiling : 3200 [m]
range : 724 [km]
description :
3-bay biplane with fixed landing gear with nosewheel and tail strut
two spar upper and lower wing
engines,landing gear and fuel attached to the wings, bombload in or attached to fuselage
airscrew :
two fixed pitch 4 -bladed tractor airscrews with max. efficiency :0.58 [ ]
diameter airscrew 3.20 [m]
angle of attack prop : 16.55 [ ]
reduction : 0.62 [ ]
airscrew revs : 1116 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 2.24 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 192 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
wing chord : 3.20 [m]
mean wing chord : 3.02 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 3.31 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 6.78 []
gap : 3.05 [m]
gap/chord : 1.01 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 1770 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 5.9 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 123.5 [kg/hr] (168.5 [litre/hr]) at 68 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 1.09 [km/kg] at 1600 [m] cruise height, sfc : 337.8 [kg/kwh]
estimated total fuel capacity : 1025.74 [litre] (751.87 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 758.0 [kg] = 1.41 [kg/KW]
weight reduction gear : 59.1 [kg]
weight 55.8 litre oil tank : 4.74 [kg]
oil tank filled with 4.0 litre oil : 3.6 [kg]
oil in engine 29.9 litre oil : 26.8 [kg]
fuel in engine 3.7 litre fuel : 2.68 [kg]
weight 71.6 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 10.7 [kg]
weight radiator : 85.9 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 34.1 [kg]
weight self-starter : 6.6 [kg]
weight cowling 10.7 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 121.0 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 1178 [kg](20.8 [%])
***************************************************************
fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 12.69 [cm]): 536 [kg]
fuselage width : 1.77 [m]
passenger seating pitch : 87 [cm]
passenger cabin width : 1.52 [m] cabin length : 4.35 [m]
passenger cabin area : 6.60 [m2]
length luggage compartment : 2.87 [m]
luggage compartment: 5.37 [m3]
enough space for 892 [kg] luggage/freight
normal weight luggage & freight 380 [kg] luggage/freight
suitable for light volumetric freight
bracing : 52.8 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 31.9 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 10.2 [kg]
weight instruments. : 2.5 [kg]
weight lighting : 1.1 [kg]
weight controls : 7.1 [kg]
weight seats : 36.0 [kg]
weight interior + equipment + fuel lines: 72 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 718 [kg](12.7 [%])
***************************************************************
weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 106 [kg]
total weight ribs (154 ribs) : 337 [kg]
weight engine mounts : 27 [kg]
weight two 477 [litre] main fuel tanks empty : 76.3 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 1369.6 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 654.8 [N]
An advanced feature was the inbuilt airstep door
total weight 8 spars : 206 [kg]
weight wings : 649 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 5.25 [kg]
weight 12 interplane struts & cabane : 278.1 [kg]
weight cables (155 [m]) : 50.4 [kg] (= 324 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 7.3 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (4.9 [m2]) : 26.3 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (13.9 [m2]): 73.9 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 1180 [kg] (20.8 [%])
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wheel pressure : 1247.4 [kg]
weight 5 wheels (950 [mm] by 146 [mm]) : 121.7 [kg]
weight tailskid : 18.8 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 192.1 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 332.6 [kg] (5.9 [%]
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calculated empty weight : 3409 [kg](60.1 [%])
weight oil for 6.4 hours flying : 38.0 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 116.0 [kg]
calculated operational weight empty : 3563 [kg] (62.8 [%])
published operational weight empty : 3533 [kg] (62.3 [%])
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weight crew : 162 [kg]
weight fuel for 1.0 hours flying : 124 [kg]
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operational weight : 3849 [kg](67.9 [%])
fuel reserve : 628.3 [kg] enough for 5.09 [hours] flying
possible additional useful load : 1193 [kg]
operational weight fully loaded : 5670 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 5670 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (Take-off) : 10.56 [kg/kW]
power loading (operational without useful load) : 7.17 [kg/kW]
total power : 536.9 [kW] at 1800 [r.p.m]
Gap : 10 ft = 3.05[m] chord 10 ft 6 in = 3.20[m] span : 67ft = 20.42[m] area of main planes : 1330 sq.ft = 123.56 [m2]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 2.3 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 3.0 [g] ultimate load : 4.5 [g] load factor : 1.6 [g]
design flight time : 3.75 [hours]
design cycles : 240 sorties, design hours : 900 [hours]
operational wing loading : 305 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 175 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.46 ["]
max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 12.48 ["]
angle of attack at max. speed : 2.21 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.12 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.14 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.30 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0076 [ ]
drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0550 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0474 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 75 [km/u]
stalling speed at sea-level (MTOW): 91 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level: 88 [km/hr]
min. drag speed (max endurance) : 100 [km/hr] at 1600 [m](power :46 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 111 [km/hr] at 1600 [m] (power:50 [%])
max. rate of climb speed : 95.0 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 135 [km/hr] op 1600 [m] (power:68 [%])
design speed prop : 142 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 150 [km/hr] op 500 [m] (power:92 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level : 242 [m/min]
Beneath the pilot there is a luggage storage.
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off speed : 109.5 [km/u]
static prop wash : 132 [km/u]
take-off distance at sea-level : 236 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 7.95 [ ]]
time to 1000m : 5.15 [min]
time to 2000m : 13.34 [min]
published ceiling (3200 [m]
practical ceiling (operational weight) : 3678 [m] with flying weight :3849 [kg] line 3385
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 30 min.fuel) : 1738 [m] with flying weight :5608 [kg]
max. dive speed : 333.4 [km/hr] at 738 [m] height
turning speed at CLmax : 104.5 [km/u] at 50 [m] height
turn radius at 50m: 52 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 11.3 [seconds] at 50m
load factor at max. angle turn 1.92 ["g"]
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
published range : 724 [km] with 2 crew and 1282.5 [kg] useful load and 88.1 [%] fuel
range : 869 [km] with 2 crew and 1150.0 [kg] useful load and 105.7 [%] fuel
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 2763.9 [litre] fuel : 2214.2 [km]
useful load with range 500km : 1568 [kg]
production : 211.75 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 0.61 [kg]
_
I_°°=/
°°
Flying ambulance, not clear if it was ever used in this role.
Crashes :
27 February 1920 G-EAAV crashes on take-off at Tabora, Tanzania, no casualties. It took part in a race to fly to Cape Town.
Literature :
praktisch handboek vliegtuigen deel 2 page 14,15
piston engined airliners page 8,10
Incident Vickers Vimy Commercial G-EAAV, 27 Feb 1920 (aviation-safety.net)
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program. For copyright on drawings/photographs/
content please mail to below mail address
(c) B van der Zalm 01 January 2021 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4
notes :